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You are here: Home / Freebies / 9 Picture Books for Christmas with Free Resources

November 23, 2018 by: Laura

9 Picture Books for Christmas with Free Resources

Last Updated on November 15, 2022 by Laura

Picture Books for Christmas

December is hitting my school library with the usual excitement of winter programs, parties, ski days, assemblies, gift making, and the unpredictability of schedules that can change at a moment’s notice!  It can be a challenge to make sure your December library lessons are meaningful and engaging. I do love this time of year, especially now that I make sure I have extra Christmas picture books on hand to read aloud with fun lessons and activities!

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience.  This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

My Favorite Picture Books for Christmas

I’ve chosen some of my favorite Christmas picture books and found some great free activities on Teachers Pay Teachers!  I’d like to share some of my favorites so you can use them in your elementary library or classroom during this crazy-fun time of year.  (I’ve also got a special freebie for you – click to download some fun gift tags to use at school or at home!)

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clark Moore

This is one of my favorite titles to share with kids around the holidays and you probably have several versions on hand, like I do!  It’s a terrific opportunity for some comparing and contrasting between different versions of the same story.  I love Jan Brett’s version because of her detailed illustrations and the “extra story” going on in the borders!  Mary Engelbreit’s The Night Before Christmas has such fun, colorful illustrations.  Kids will love looking for tiny, detailed embellishments on every page (especially on the Christmas tree!)! ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Daniel Kirk, is the newest version in my collection.  Shown from the point of view of a mouse (Sam’s father, for fans of Library Mouse!), Kirk changed a few of the words to make them more “kid friendly,” while keeping the spirit of the traditional poem.

Hello Literacy (Jen Jones) has a fantastic close reading resource called Twas the Night Before Christmas Short Text that includes an article on 4 different reading levels.  Also included are vocabulary and text evidence activities along with teaching points, a guide to close reading, and links to digital media sources for text comparisons.  Pair this with several versions of the book and you’ve got activities for a couple of days!

Trapped Click Clack Ho Ho Ho

Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

It’s Christmas Eve and Farmer Brown is getting ready.  When Duck tries to play Santa, he gets stuck in the chimney!  As all the animals try to help, they each get stuck until the real Santa finally comes to the rescue.  Storytime listeners will love predicting who will go next and laugh at the illustrations of animal legs sticking out of the chimney!  Cindy Calenti’s Directed Drawing resource has fun step-by-step directions for drawing duck stuck in the chimney.  Also included are a sequencing activity and a writing activity.

Trapped Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery

The Gingerbread Man joins his classmates in sharing acts of kindness and he makes a card for the baker that helped his class create him.  This fun rhyming story will be a hit with young readers who have read or listened to others in the series.  It’s a great story to use as a springboard for your own holiday acts of kindness activities.  Brooke Brown’s Gingerbread Coding is a great way to tie in with the book and help your youngest learners try some coding activities!  I plan to use this for Hour of Code week at the beginning of December! (Click here for an Hour of Code freebie from me!)

Trapped Santa's Job

How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by S.D. Schindler

Have you ever wondered just how Santa got his job?  This fun tale lets us follow him as he tries out different careers.  Readers and storytime listeners will recognize Santa’s qualities and characteristics as he tries out being a chimney sweep, mailman, chef, zookeeper, circus performer and finally the toy deliverer that he is today!  They will also notice his physical transformation in the illustrations from a young man into the jolly Santa Claus we are so familiar with.  The Library Patch has a terrific Book Bites resource with great teaching notes, summarizing pages and fun activities to identify the problems Santa had with each job.  This fantastic resource is common core aligned too!

Trapped Catch Santa

How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish

This absolutely delightful book will be loved by any child who has wished to get a glimpse of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!  The author and illustrator help us think about questions we’d like to ask Santa as well as things we’d like to tell him, and even to consider some items to give to him, before helping us make a plan to catch him.  A subtle theme of gratitude and thoughtfulness underlies the fun!  Simply Kinder has a fun freebie that includes printables for sequencing, brainstorming, and writing activities.

Trapped Toy Expert

Santa Claus, the World’s Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee

This sweet book explains how Santa gets to know all of the kids well so he can match them with just the right toy at Christmas time.  Readers and listeners will enjoy looking carefully at the pictures to pick out details.  When reading aloud, be sure to give plenty of time to stop and talk about what everyone can notice in the illustrations!  Your students will enjoy Andrea Knight’s resource, I’m a Toy Expert! Quick Write as they write about a toy that they know well.  It will be a fun activity for students to share their writing with the class, too!

Trapped Wild Reindeer

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

As you can see, this book is a well-loved classic in my library!  When Santa asks Teeka to gather his wild reindeer and get them ready for Christmas Eve, she learns an important lesson about gentleness and kindness.  As we follow along with Teeka and the wild reindeer, we also see the elves getting ready for Christmas in the borders.  As usual, Jan Brett’s gorgeous illustrations beckon us to linger on each page!  Remember to be a Reindeer is a fabulous poster set from Digital Divide and Conquer.  It makes a bright, eye-catching, uplifting display for a bulletin board or door.

Picture Books for Christmas are FUN!

Keeping some picture books for Christmas on hand in December can really help you stay flexible in a hectic month at school. So, check out one of these Christmas picture books and grab the freebies so you can be ready for any unexpected schedule changes in your school library!

Want more December library ideas?

Take a look at this fun bundle of December school library activities!

December Library Lessons Bundle

Do you have some favorite picture books for Christmas?  Please share one below!

** You can hop along to learn from other school librarians in last year’s Holiday Hop!  Head over to That Library Girl‘s blog next to read about some great brain breaks for the littlest learners in your school library!

Be the light!

  • Engage Your Readers with the 2019 Young Reader’s Choice Nominees (Junior Division)
    Hour of Code: Future Computer Scientists in the Making!

    Comments

    1. Tracie Shepherd says

      November 23, 2018 at 8:13 AM

      As always your ideas are so engaging for kids and make our lives run easier. These are great ideas. I need to fill in some gaps in my holiday collection, Amazon here I come! Thanks for sharing!

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 8:56 AM

        Thanks, Tracie! Happy Holidays and happy shopping!!

    2. Tracy says

      November 23, 2018 at 8:27 AM

      If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 8:55 AM

        Oh, yes! Such a good one! I love all of Numeroff’s books!

    3. Tara Brown says

      November 23, 2018 at 8:34 AM

      Thank you for this awesome list of books and activites! My favorite is Polar Express. ? We also read a variety of shorter stories during our Spanish hour. Tis the season – happy holidays! 🙂

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 8:55 AM

        I love The Polar Express too! Your Spanish Hour sounds interesting! Happy Holidays!

    4. Annie g says

      November 23, 2018 at 9:03 AM

      I love all of the click clack stories! I will definitely be trying out this activity as well as some of the others

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 9:21 AM

        That’s great! I know – I love all of those stories too, and so do the kids!

    5. Eva Griffin says

      November 23, 2018 at 9:46 AM

      This list is awesome! Thank you for putting so much work into this to make our job easier. You rock! Thanks for sharing!

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 9:59 AM

        You’re welcome! Happy Holidays!

    6. Julieann says

      November 23, 2018 at 10:55 AM

      Thank you for all these great ideas! Going forward, I’d like to see more book ideas that are a little more multicultural to reflect my student population. I know there is a “Twas…Christmas” version for African americans. Thank you again.

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 11:18 AM

        Thanks for stopping by! Great idea – I’ll be on the lookout!!

    7. Angela says

      November 23, 2018 at 12:16 PM

      The polar express is a favorite!

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 6:23 PM

        Yes! A favorite of mine as well!

    8. Misty says

      November 23, 2018 at 1:29 PM

      Awesome. First year librarian here and so I am following all of the pages of this blog hop and the TpT stores1

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 6:22 PM

        Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’re enjoying your first year in the library!

    9. Dolores A Jordan says

      November 23, 2018 at 2:15 PM

      I just found your blog- these are awesome ideas. I can’t wait to use some of them with all my kiddos.

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 6:22 PM

        I’m glad you’re finding helpful tips! Thanks for stopping by!

    10. Diane says

      November 23, 2018 at 3:51 PM

      I also enjoy Memoirs of an Elf with my fifth graders 🙂

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 6:21 PM

        Yes! That’s a good one too!!

    11. Cheryl Rosenbaum says

      November 23, 2018 at 6:49 PM

      Fantastic ideas! Thank you!

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 11:38 PM

        Thanks for stopping by! You’re welcome!

    12. Holly Shreffler says

      November 23, 2018 at 8:04 PM

      Thanks for the great resources and this great opportunity.

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 11:37 PM

        You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

    13. Mandy says

      November 23, 2018 at 10:38 PM

      These free resources are so awesome! Definitely going to use the Click Clack Ho! Ho! Ho! resources!

      • trappedlib says

        November 23, 2018 at 11:37 PM

        Good! I’m so glad you’ve found a Christmas picture book and activity to use! Thanks for stopping by!

    14. Kim Reber says

      November 24, 2018 at 4:54 AM

      Thank you for finding such a great set of resources! I look forward to reading more posts!

    15. Maureen says

      November 24, 2018 at 5:22 AM

      Love the wild reindeer resources! Thanks.

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 5:33 AM

        You bet! Thanks for stopping by!

    16. Tricia Young says

      November 24, 2018 at 7:57 AM

      Great list of books and what engaging activities. Thank you.

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:21 PM

        You’re welcome, Tricia! Thanks for stopping by!

    17. Mary Ann Cole says

      November 24, 2018 at 8:41 AM

      Forwarded this to my niece who is a pre-school teacher assistant. She’ll love these wonderful books and crafty ideas! Thank you.

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:22 PM

        That’s great! Thanks for passing it along!

    18. Nikki says

      November 24, 2018 at 9:18 AM

      Thank you for sharing all these wonderful books and matching resources. My kiddos LOVE Christmas stories.

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:23 PM

        You’re welcome! The holidays are a fun time to share stories!

    19. Elewis says

      November 24, 2018 at 11:31 AM

      I have never used the Wild Reindeer–looking forward to trying your resources out.

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:28 PM

        It’s a beautiful book – an oldie but a goodie! Thanks for stopping by!!

    20. Gina Frazier says

      November 24, 2018 at 11:46 AM

      You shared a terrific holiday book list with awesome activities to go along with each title. Thanks so much! I think I need to go shopping for some more holiday books to add to my classroom. Thanks for the opportunity to enter this fantastic giveaway!

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:24 PM

        You’re welcome, Gina!! Thanks for stopping by!

    21. Margo Gentile says

      November 24, 2018 at 12:58 PM

      You’ve shared and described so many great books and activities! Thanks so much!

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 2:19 PM

        You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

    22. Renee says

      November 24, 2018 at 6:02 PM

      How to Catch an Elf, by Adam Wallace. Fun and creative! Thanks for publishing this fun and creative blog!

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 6:13 PM

        I just ordered this one – I love his other books!! Thanks for the suggestion!

    23. Kris says

      November 24, 2018 at 8:08 PM

      I always love to read The Jolly Postman Christmas Book!

      • trappedlib says

        November 24, 2018 at 9:30 PM

        That’s a great one too! Thanks for the reminder, Kris!

    24. Cortney says

      November 24, 2018 at 9:50 PM

      These look great! I can’t wait to use some of them in my library this year. So helpful for a first-year library teacher. Thank you!

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:18 PM

        Cortney, I’m glad you’ve found some good ideas! I hope your year is going well! Thanks for stopping by!

    25. Bethany says

      November 24, 2018 at 10:02 PM

      I have a few favorites like Red boots for Christmas and the Pine Tree Parable.

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:17 PM

        Bethany – I’ll have to look for those! Thanks for the suggestions!

    26. Anna says

      November 24, 2018 at 10:05 PM

      Awesome idea! Thanks!

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:17 PM

        Thanks for stopping by, Anna!

    27. Alexa says

      November 25, 2018 at 12:08 AM

      I love the book, How Santa Got His Job. Your activity is so creative. Thank you for sharing an awesome blog post!!

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:16 PM

        Thanks for stopping by, Alexa!

    28. michelle Miller says

      November 25, 2018 at 9:04 AM

      very nice listing

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:16 PM

        Thanks Michelle!

    29. Sarah says

      November 25, 2018 at 11:12 AM

      Thank you so much for this list! I’m always looking for new ideas of books to order or read aloud to my students! Another one that I love reading to the kids is Christmas Magic by Michael Garland – such pretty illustrations!

      • trappedlib says

        November 25, 2018 at 3:15 PM

        Sarah, Thanks for the great book suggestion! I love Michael Garland’s books! Happy Holiday Reading!!

    30. Susan Barrier says

      November 25, 2018 at 3:42 PM

      The Small One is my favorite Christmas book.

      • trappedlib says

        April 27, 2019 at 2:45 PM

        That’s a great one too!

    31. Desiree Glaze says

      November 25, 2018 at 7:42 PM

      Oh! A few of these titles are new to me. I cannot wait to check them out.

    32. Michelle says

      November 26, 2018 at 7:22 PM

      Love the hour of code activity! A fun twist for the older kiddos is to create giant code boards with painters tape on the floor. Students code themselves through, so much fun!

      • trappedlib says

        April 27, 2019 at 2:45 PM

        What a great idea – thanks for sharing!

    33. Penelope says

      November 27, 2018 at 11:23 AM

      I really like the quick write idea for the Toy Expert book! All of the ideas are awesome actually! Thank you very much!

      • trappedlib says

        April 27, 2019 at 2:44 PM

        You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

    34. Jeanne says

      December 8, 2019 at 2:42 PM

      I love reading “Santa’s Book of Names” by David McPhail to my first graders.
      Thank you for sharing books and ideas with us!

      • Laura says

        April 16, 2020 at 9:19 PM

        I love that book too, Jeanne! Thanks!

    35. Heather says

      December 9, 2019 at 7:21 AM

      I like to read Shooting the Stars by John Hendrix to my 6th graders. Christmas and a history lesson.

      • Laura says

        April 16, 2020 at 9:18 PM

        That sounds good, Heather – thank you!

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    thetrappedlibrarian

    📚 Elementary School Librarian
    🌟 NBCT 2011
    👩🏻‍🏫 Teacher Author
    Blog: trappedlibrarian.org

    😎 Add some fun to your end of the year library 😎 Add some fun to your end of the year library lessons with these Summer Bookmarks! Your students will love the summer jokes, summer greetings, and cute characters. Encourage summer reading and spread some end of the year fun in your elementary library or classroom.

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💛 You'll find lots of ideas for summer reading, end of the year games, motivating ideas for book returns, and more. 𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦 20 “𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆” ideas and a yummy recipe for Lunch Lady Brownies! 

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☀️ 3 forthcoming books to add to your purchase list for next year
☀️ AND a sneak peak into my summer project (𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗗 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿!)

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